As the nomination period for judges to the International Criminal Court draws to a close on Saturday, at least two governments have chosen to bypass the nominations of qualified women and have instead put forward questionable candidates

Experts say that other qualified women are encountering similar obstacles in different countries around the world even in the face of mandates in the Rome Statute calling for a "fair representation" of male and female judges. The statute's provisions were seen as critical to helping to correct the historic imbalances in international institutions.